DOMINION WAR FORCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1942, Page 4

DOMINION WAR FORCES

SERVICE IN AGE GROUPS CHANGE IN SYSTEM. i POSITION OF MARRIED MEN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The recent official announcement that in future men would be called up lor service in age groups irrespective, in the case of married men, of the i.umber of children they had, has been amplified by the issue last night of the General Classification Order, 1942. The number of divisions of men for service remains the same but there is a fresh classification to meet the new age-group system. This new order revokes that issued last year whereby men were classified according to their conjugal status and number of dependents. The First Division still consists of all unmarried male reservists who are British subjects, and who are 18 but not 46, subject to the exceptions which have been in force since the ballot system began. The Second Division still consists of' married men who are 18 but not 46. " The Third Division remains “all other reservists.” The First Division is divided by the new order into four classes:—Class S-18-19 (those not yet 20); Class S-20 (those 20 but not 21); Class S-21-40 (those 21 but not yet 41); Class S-41-45 (those who have reached 41). The Second Division is divided into 32 classes. The first five classes are for childless married men, namely, M-18-19 (under 20); M-20 (20 but not 21); M-21-40 (21 but not 41); M-41-45 (those who have reached 41). The remaining classes are for married men who have a child or children. As the single men’s classes were preceded by the initial S and the married men without children by M, the classes for those with a child or children have the initial letter C. They range from Class C-18 (married men of 18 but not 19) to Class C-45 (those 45 but not 46). The numeral of each class corresponds to the age of the reservist contained in it. As before, a man is deemed to be unmarried if he (a) has never’ been married; (b) is married but his marriage took place after May 1, 1940, and he has no children; (c) is a widower with no children; Cd) his marriage has been dissolved, or he is judicially separated from his wife by decree, separation order, or otherwise, and he has no children. All other men are deemed to be married. For the purposes of the order the term “child” is used irrespectively of age and includes (a) a child legally adopted by the reservist before May 1, 1940, if he was married before then, but includes no other adopted children; (b) a child of the reservist’s wife if he married the mother before May 1, 1940, but includes no other step-children; (c) a legitimated child of the reservist if he married the mother before May 1, 1940, but includes no other legitimated children.